Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-04-23
OLD UNCLE CY.
PEN PICTURE OF THE OLD TIME
PLANTATION SLAVE.
The GouDterosrt Of Uncle Remus''
Pound III Many >"uth~ru House
gro Servants Aunt Be>,.''

II ncle Remus. 81 Charmngly sketChr,
by Chandler Harris, Of Georgia. had his
counterpart III many southern house
hold Ny Uncle RemuS L. dead. lie wa.
the hum. born slave of my grandfather
i'll Barnwell. and i'll his early manhood
rafted lumber down EdistU river tC
Charleston pure African hy blood, h,
had the strongly marked pTngnathou.
features Of his race. WAS six feet high
with flesh and muscle IN proportion On
the marriage of INV father. in 1870. Cy
was given to him, and helped him to build
The log house Ia which he took his bride
and Ia clear his first Gcld Uncle ty. Il,
the children always called him, taught me
In ride horse. and later on to shoot q
gun. He shook hickory nuts ont Of the
tall trees and rived trap sticks for me to
catch birds made cute bows and arrows
and in the spring time could peel of bark
from sapling~ and plait me the most glori
Gus popping whips in the world. lie was
the best WAGNER Of his time: could get
more out oI Il team with less worry. and
take a heavy load over the worst roads
with less accilent than any body else. At
log rolIings and hou.e raisings lie was
head man. and likewise at grading oats
dul Nnttl. I've W IL Ill NV eyes.
for strength and skill. For blowing. hoe
ing and cotton picking he was no great
things-rather di,dsined them IS MT only
Tor women and common uiggers He was
Il great aNmaa, and could hew 10 the line.
He Chewed tobacco: and many Of my
choicest faNor~ and propitiatiOnS We're pro-
cured 10y quid literally quid pro quo
| suppose he was The father Of thirty or
forty children. begotten III his own image,
and that all his pueterlt.-chiidren
grandchildren and great grandchildren
would at this time amount to several hun
dred
Uncle ty became n fair plantation car
penter and hla, k>mith: could make plow
and stock it. hang doors and gates and
make wagon that would ruu On my
fathers death cy became the property of
my mother by his will, for he thought
fully said She could not keep up the plan
tatiou without him. Al the division Of
her estate he and his wife fen to me. BY
degrees he GRADED mo up ~ wears went on
II was tir~t Holland. then Mas Holland
then Master. which tile he used TO tn.
last a. though he liked il Here may
record a criticism Oh that romance Of
mary eloU> genius, i ncle Tom Cabin. -
such a negro sS Uncle Tom was never
sold out of any family Money could not
buy that sort.
II WAS II great treat 10 be permitted TO
go to town" with Uncle Cy on the cot
ton wagon. There WAS one Ia whom he
bore tender loyalty. and for whom he
had three uames-Miss Your Mudder,
and Miss Betsy To her he felt amenable
for the lad's safety. and he well knew how
to afford him the utmost fun within safe
~ limits. When the bright camp ire was
kindled ana The team battered and fed for
the night, Uncle Cy would bring out that
frying pan--his only culinary apparatus
and work up Savory meal. For butch
eriug beef or mutton there was none
like him, and AT hog killing time he en-
riched me with pigtails and bladders. In
ghosts and witches he was a firm believer,
and could beat Neun"r procuosticating the
weather would put him against Car
Isle or Barnard for telling the hour Of the
night if the seven stars, Jobs Coffin, the
Three Runners, and other heavenly bodies
were shining.
For oNer>eers he had deep dislike
While ubcying his own master in the
letter and spirit Of the Epistle 10 the
EphesianS, he was inSubordinate TO dele
gated authority, and here came in his
most serious troubles. \ sad case I re
member to have occurred in Alabama
about 1910. In II difficulty with the
overSeer Uncle Cy rebelled and ran away,
taking with him two other negro men.
They Were gone over a year, and no
tidings Of them could be got. at last
they turued up in South Carolina. II
seems they had made their way back 10
the old Barnwell neighborhoOd. n distance
of over 500 miles, crossing the Chstta
hoochee. Flint. Oconee. Ocmulgee and
Savannah rivers, aud becoming weary Of
hiding out they voluntarily surrendered
themselves. ] WAS Il schoolboy as Collins
worth, TIA, when they passed along the
road in the ragged and chapfallen plight Of
runaways being returned home.
Thirty Years later Uncle Cy met me at
the station TO take me out 10 my farm,
Butler Lodge. OF that runaway
episode in his life he had ever been reti
cent, but ss we rode along through the
lonely forest drew him ont on il. Now
tell me; no danger; freedoms come; tell
me all about it-how You lodged the
patrols and crossed those rivers and made
the trip And | slipped Il plug Of to-
bacco into his hand. Never WAS twenty
mile journey better begIiiled. He told
me ail-Low they got up stock of pro
visions 10 start on and how they replen
ished il by the way, the narrow escapes,
the shrewd disguises for passing through
or around the towns and villages; lying
low by day and travelling by night. Dick
ems never contrived a story with richer or
more various incident. Much comedy,
but ever and anon touching on tragedy.
Xenophon's famous retreat with the
IL. 900 Greeks did not excel this in strategy.
Out Of what was left when the eInanci
patton came | gave him forty acres Of
land and mot mule, but yoke Of
steers. II COW and calf, some provisions
and his tools He soon fixed up a snug
home and Il shop; and what with work
ing at his ci1,ft and a little farming, and
such annual stipend as could send him
i'll money, h- made out to finish his pill
grimage tolcrahiy we'll His coanubial
morals improved. and believe in his sal
Walton. lIis last letters to me tdictated)
Were full nf gratitude and hope.
Uncle Cy owed much to his wife-an
honest, truthful and Virtuous woman.
She was the best nurse | ever saw, and
rhinistercd with unspeakable fidelity and
tenderness To my parents and brothers
and sisters On their deaIhheds. Aunt
BeSs'' was the first woman ever heard
pray in public She was II leaven and
light Some influence and honest pennies
she gained by pracficing that delicate pro-
fessiou which the Egyptians, in Moses
time, turned over 10 their women. Only
once did she fail me. When the Federal
armies We're getting into Alabama We
proposed to put our silver spoons and
such things i'll her keeping. Well, mas
ter, in course I'll do it # You say SO, but
can't be 'sponsible. Dem Yankees is
coming, and hearn tell how dey carries
wild 'em somethin' he pinter worm,